Running-gear for power-driven vehicles.



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R. n. SCOTT. RUNNING GEAR RoR POWER DRIVRN VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 2011903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented. May 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

EUEUS D. SCOTT, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT (l. ROPES,OE MORRISTOWN, NEV JERSEY.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR POWERDRIVEN VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,559, dated May 10,1904.

Application filed .Tuly 20, 1903. Serial No. 166,278. (No model.)

To all whom 'zit may concern:

4Be it known that 1, RUFUs D. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States,residing in Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massa- 5chusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Running-Gearfor Power- Driven Vehicles, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to mechanism inter- TO mediate of the frontwheels or the steering mechanism thereon and the rear or driving axle,whereby when the front axle and wheels are turned by the steering'apparatus to the right or to the left, as is the case when an auto- I5mobile is going around a curve, the wheel on the rear axle which is onthe outer side is held into engagement with said axle and `drives themachine, while the wheel on the rear axle which is on the inner side ingoing around a 2O curve is placed out of engagement and does not aid indriving' the machine, the said operation being accomplishedautomatically or wholly by means of said connection between the frontwheels and the rear axle. In other words, when the operator moves hislever to turn the course of the vehicle the outer rear wheel is heldinto and the inner rear wheel placed out of engagement with the power bythe mere movement of the steering-lever.

The nature of the invention is fully described below and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, which shows a View in plan of enough of therunning-gear of an auto--` mobile to illustrate my invention.

a represents the front axle, provided in the ordinary manner with wheelsI), which are not, of course, driving-wheels.

c is the steering-lever, pivoted in the ordinary manner at c to thevehicle and connected by the bar d with the horizontal rod e, which bymeans of the cranks f (which directly connect with the wheels) turns thefront wheels to the right or to the left and steers the vehicle, all asis now common.

/L and 7c are the rear wheels, rigid on a divided rear axleuthat is, anaxle made in two parts c' j' and inclosed in sleeves Z, whose inner endsare formed up at m and inclose the inner ends of the shafts c' j and areconnected by a peripheral gear n, which communi- 5o cates with thepower. The divided shaft and the parts Z m a are not new in thisinvention and need no further description. Keyed to each shaft is thehub o of the member o ot' a friction-clutch, whose other member isintegral with the adjacent sleeve Z, on which slides a cone 29, which isadapted to operate a spreader q and bring the two portions of the clutchtogether into engagement in the ordinary manner, `there being no noveltyin this invention in the clutches or cones, which may be oi any suitableconstruction. Into the annular groove fr on each cone there extends afinger s, which is secured to the outer end of a bell-crank z5, pivotedat a to the stationary portion of the vehicle, and the other end of thelever is pivotally connected at fu to the rear end of the rod fw, whoseforward end is pivotally connected at 1/ to the bell-crank f, which ison the opposite side ol the vehicle from the said cone. In other words,the cone on the left side is connected with the front wheel on the rightside and the cone on the right side with the front wheel on the leftside, the rods u1 crossing for the purpose. 75

ln practical operation when the gear is in the position indicated byfull lines in the drawing, and hence the vehicle is running in astraight line, both of the clutches are in engagement with the rear axleand both ot' the rear wheels i and are driving the vehicle.' Should thefront wheels b Z) be turned into the position indicated by dotted linesfor the purpose of driving the vehicle around a curve to the right1 thelever f, which is connected with the left forward wheel, pulls on therod w, which is connected with the bell-crank t and clutch p on theportion of the shaft which supports the right rear wheel 71 separatingthe two portions of the clutch in the ordinary manner and releasing saidwheel /b from the power and allowing it to simply roll over the road-bedon the inner side of the curve. At the same time as it travels aroundthe curve on the outer side. If the vehicle is turned to the left, theoperation is reversed, and the right rear wheel L becomes adriving-wheel, while the left wheel le is the idle wheel. Thus it willbe seen that when the operator turns his steering-lever to drive thevehicle around a curve the outside rear wheel becomes immediately thedriving- Wheel, while the inside rear wheel simply rolls over thesurface of the road-bed, and this is done practically automatically.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a running-gear for power-driven vehicles, a driving-axle andwheels adapted to be driven thereby; mechanisms intermediate of eachsaid wheel and said axle for transmitting motion from the axle to eachwheel independently of the other; a steering mechanism under control ofthe operator; and mechanism intermediate of and actuated by the steeringmechanism and the mechanisms for transmitting power from thedriving-axle to the drivingwheels, whereby when the vehicle is steeredto right or left the driving-wheel on the outer surface of the curveoperates as a driver while the driving-wheel on the inner sides of thecurve does not so operate.

2. In a running-gear for power-driven vehicles, a divided driving-axle;a clutch on each part of the axle; a wheel on each part of the axleadapted to receive motion therefrom by means of said clutches; a pair ofsuitably-supported running wheels; a steering mechanism connected withsaid running wheels; and mechanism intermediate of the steeringmechanism next each running wheel and the clutch mechanism next eachdriving-wheel on the opposite side of the vehicle, whereby both clutchmechanisms are held in engagement with their driving-wheels when thevehicle is steered in a straight line, but when it is steered in acurved line the clutch mechanism next the drivingwheel on the inside ofthe curve is moved out of engagement therewith.

3. In a running-gear for power-driven vehicles, the divideddriving-shaft z' j' provided with the wheels /L le; a clutch mechanismon each portion of said shaft adapted to transmit motion therefrom tothe wheel thereon; the front running wheels b; the steering mechanism fe connected therewith; and the crossed rods 1,0 each extending from thesteering mechanism next one front wheel and connected at its oppositeend with the clutch acting on the rear driving-wheel on the oppositeside of the vehicle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification-in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RUFUS D. SCOTT. Vitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. MURRAY, EDWARD ELDRED.

